Hamas has adapted to survive before and will do so again as its ceasefire deal with Israel develops, a foreign policy expert has said.
Speaking to our lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim, Harley Lippman says Hamas achieved its three main goals from the war in Gaza – the release of political prisoners, putting the Palestinian issue “on the front page all over the world” and disrupting the relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Asked if the ceasefire will hold and whether phase two of the agreement will get off the ground, Lippman says: “I think it will. As you can see, there’s huge momentum. Already seven hostages have been released.
“This is considered the near miracle by almost everyone, and I think everybody’s very aligned, everybody’s working the backrooms to make this work.
“It’s going to be very difficult, the next phases, because it goes to interpretation of the agreement. Remember, Hamas still bristles at the notion of disarming, so what they’ll probably do is hide weapons. They may give up some, but it’s there.
“But Hamas is not like ISIS – Hamas will adjust and adapt. They’ve even said it. They’ll participate in a political process. They’re very unusual that way.
“They know what they need to do for the moment is to adjust to the new reality. They’ve done it before. So while they may be down, as the expression goes, they’re far from out.”
First hostages being released as part of Gaza peace deal
